News | Cardiac Imaging | September 21, 2023

Low-income Country Cardiac Imaging Procedures Remain Down Post-COVID

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women

Getty Images


September 21, 2023 — Declines in cardiovascular procedure volumes observed early in the COVID-19 pandemic greatly recovered in 2021 in the U.S. and other high-income countries, but not in facilities in lower-income countries, according to a study published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). 

“Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women,” said lead researcher Andrew J. Einstein, M.D., Ph.D., director of nuclear cardiology, cardiac CT and MRI, and professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York. “Diagnostic procedures are imperative for the timely diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with suspected cardiovascular disease.” 

Dr. Einstein and a team of researchers evaluated data collected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through the Non-invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID and INCAPS COVID 2). The worldwide studies collected data from 669 facilities in 107 countries to determine the impact of the pandemic on diagnostic cardiovascular procedure volumes. 

With 93 centers across 34 U.S. states participating, the study is one of the largest analyses of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures in the U.S. published to date. 

Participating facilities reported diagnostic imaging volumes during March 2019 (baseline), April 2020 (early pandemic period), and April 2021 (recovery period). 

Using the INCAPS COVID 2 data, the researchers evaluated the procedure volumes before, during and after the pandemic. The team also performed a statistical analysis on the factors associated with a return to pre-pandemic volumes in the U.S. 

U.S. facilities submitted procedure volumes totaling 262,691, and non-U.S. centers submitted volumes totaling 930,235. Baseline procedure volume per center was higher for U.S. facilities compared with all non-U.S. facilities (951 versus 222) and non-U.S. high-income country (NUHIC) facilities (951 versus 300). 

The worldwide volume of cardiothoracic imaging procedures decreased by 64% in April 2020 compared to March 2019. By 2021, low- and low-middle-income countries reported persistent and substantial declines in procedure volumes compared to 2019, while all other countries, including the U.S., reported procedure volumes near or at prior 2019 baseline volumes. Regional recovery in the U.S. was lowest in the South and West. 

According to Dr. Einstein, the availability of telemedicine services and policies may have been one of the factors playing a role in the recovery. U.S. facilities reported a two-fold greater use of telehealth services compared with NUHICfacilities. 

“Though further studies are needed to gauge the long-term impact of increased telehealth use on patient outcomes, studies have already shown that telehealth is associated with increased patient satisfaction, improved patient retention, and improved access to care for a wide range of patient populations and communities,” he said. 

Dr. Einstein said a multi-faceted approach is needed to address potential excess morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease in economically disadvantaged regions, including strategies such as improving access to cardiovascular care including resources for diagnosis and treatment, improving healthcare worker training and increasing telehealth infrastructure. 

For more information: www.rsna.org 

 

Related Long-COVID Coverage:   

ACC23 Study Finds Long COVID More Than Doubles Risk of Developing New Cardiac Symptoms   

ACC Scientific Session 2023 to Feature Smidt Heart Institute Experts   

The Effects of Long COVID   

MRI Sheds Light on COVID Vaccine-Associated Heart Muscle Injury    

What We Know About Cardiac Long-COVID Two Years Into the Pandemic     

VIDEO: Long-term Cardiac Impacts of COVID-19 Two Years Into The Pandemic — Interview with Aaron Baggish, M.D.    

VIDEO: Long-COVID Presentations in Cardiology at Beaumont Hospital — Interview with Justin Trivax, M.D.    

VIDEO: Cardiac Presentations in COVID Long-haulers at Cedars-Sinai Hospital — Interview with Siddharth Singh, M.D.    

Find more COVID news and videos  

Find more COVID news and videos 


Related Content

News | Cardiac Imaging

Cleerly, a leader in cardiovascular imaging, today announced the promotions of two key executives to expanded leadership ...

Home July 02, 2025
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

June 25, 2025 — Royal Philips and Methodist Hospitals recently announced the healthcare provider’s strategic investment ...

Home June 25, 2025
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

June 12, 2025 — GE HealthCare has announced the combination of GE HealthCare’s proprietary features and algorithms with ...

Home June 12, 2025
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

April 1, 2025 — UltraSight recently announced the presentation at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual ...

Home April 15, 2025
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

April 3, 2025 — Tower Health and Siemens Healthineers recently announced a 10-year agreement focused on equipment ...

Home April 04, 2025
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

Pfizer has awarded $80,000 to Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) to fund an Amyloidosis Fellowship at ...

Home December 19, 2024
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

Dec. 11, 2024 — Genetesis, Inc. has launched the CardioFlux Membership program. CardioFlux Membership is designed to be ...

Home December 18, 2024
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

Nov. 13, 2024 – A recent study has demonstrated the value of the single-exposure dual-energy X-ray detector in advancing ...

Home November 13, 2024
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

Oct. 15, 2024 — Four of the seven Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have released final local coverage ...

Home October 16, 2024
Home
News | Cardiac Imaging

Oct. 15, 2024 – Elucid has announced that four of the seven Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will extend ...

Home October 15, 2024
Home
Subscribe Now